Airbnb Offers Free Housing to Harvey Victims

Image credit: tanuha2001 / Shutterstock

Airbnb has just extended its efforts to help those displaced by Tropical Storm Harvey. 

The company’s disaster relief program offers free room-and-board to anyone who has evacuated and/or lost their homes this week, and will continue to do so until September 25. The program was originally set up to help those affected when the hurricane made landfall, scheduled to end September 1. However, heavy rains have caused intense, unexpected flooding that has displaced upwards of 30,000 Houston residents, so Airbnb has extended the program to keep people safe and dry.

“We encourage hosts in safe, inland areas to aid in this effort by listing their available rooms or homes on the platform to help the growing number of evacuees,” Kellie Bentz, Airbnb’s head of global disaster response and relief, said in a statement.

Those who offer their homes will not be charged the usual three percent listing fee, but they will still be backed by Airbnb’s host guarantee, which covers any potential property damage. There are currently 340 listings for Harvey evacuees.

Federal officials predict more than 450,000 people will need some type of assistance due to the storm, so this program is a godsend to Texans who may have lost everything (or may not see their homes for many months). Airbnb has expanded the program to reach all of Houston, and is even spreading out as far as Austin and Dallas. Now that rain and flooding is affecting Louisiana, it won’t be surprising if Airbnb extends the program to them as well.

Airbnb’s disaster relief program began in 2012 after Superstorm Sandy hit the northeast United States. Airbnb emails hosts in safe areas that are close to disaster zones, asking them to add their homes to the program. Airbnb is currently offering disaster relief to those affected by the floods in Mumbai, India as well as Tropical Storm Harvey.